Niagara County launches Lockport pharmaceutical drop-off point

by jmaloni

Press release

Thu, Jul 25th 2013 02:00 pm

The Niagara County Sheriff's Office has installed the county's first permanent pharmaceutical waste drop-off site at the county jail. Declaring the collection point open are, from left, Undersheriff Michael J. Filicetti, Capt. Michael Dunn, Niagara County Refuse District Acting Director Dawn Timm, and Niagara County Legislature Majority Leader Rick Updegrove. The collection point is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Old meds can be dropped at sheriff's office

Niagara County residents can now drop old prescription drugs, expired
medications, and other common pharmaceuticals off at a confidential drop-off
site at the Niagara County Sheriff's Office.

The public may drop off unused pharmaceuticals from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
weekdays at the secure, monitored site, which is now officially in operation.

The pharmaceutical waste drop-off site, located at the jail entrance to the
sheriff's 0ffice at 5526 Niagara St. Ext., is the first of three slated to be
permanently opened in the county, allows residents to dispose of old
medications - which can be otherwise potentially harmful to children, pets, or
the environment if improperly disposed of.

The site is a collaborative effort between the Niagara County Refuse
Disposal District and the sheriff's office.

"Disposing of these wastes at a controlled drop-off site, where they can be
disposed of in an environmentally benign manner, is smart policy when it comes
to protecting our environment," said Dawn Timm, interim director of the refuse
district. "Medications should never be flushed or poured down a drain, because
they can make their way into our water supply and impact water ecology. We're
trying to prevent that."

Timm said the drugs are collected from a secure bin on a weekly basis, and
transported to an industrial incinerator where they are completely destroyed.
For that reason, medical devices containing mercury cannot be accepted.

Timm and Sheriff James R. Voutour also pointed to the dangers of leaving
prescription and over-the-counter medications out for trash collection, noting
that children and pets can often gain access to large quantities of drugs that
can prove harmful.

The collection of unused prescription drugs, in particular, is also
important in keeping such medications from being abused.

"Pharmaceuticals are a hot commodity on the streets these days," Voutour said.
"The ability to allow citizens to dispose of unwanted drugs year-round will
help keep them out of the wrong hands."

The leader of the Niagara County Legislature's majority caucus, Legislator
Rick Updegrove, R-Lockport, was on-hand at the sheriff's office to check out
the new drop-off site.

"This is a good partnership between law enforcement, our refuse district,
and county government to keep our neighborhoods safe and prevent unused
prescriptions from falling into the wrong hands," he said. "As an added
benefit, we're able to provide this service utilizing county personnel and
facilities that are already paid for in our budget."

Two additional pharmaceutical collection sites are set to be opened in
Lewiston and Niagara Falls later in the summer.

For more information on the county's pharmaceutical collection points, call
the Niagara County Sheriff's Office at 716-438-3370 or the refuse district at
716-439-7240.